One More Time (Red Hook 1)

“That was amazing, Alana.”

She looked at him. “I was just going to say that.”

He grinned, looking so relaxed and happy. She wouldn’t mind seeing him always looking like this.

“Great minds think alike.”

Chapter 14

Alana put the grocery bags in the backseat of her car. All day she had been feeling as if someone was watching her. She thought maybe she was being paranoid. As far as she knew, her attacker had been very quiet for weeks. It was confusing. She didn’t know if she should relax or stay on alert. It wasn’t good for her nerves.

She took a deep breath and told herself to calm down. Life had been going good lately.

She and Noah were spending as much time together as they could after making love three days ago. She felt so much closer to him now. Knowing him as a lover was exciting, and she hoped this feeling never faded. It gave her confidence. He was honest about his fears, and they talked things through. She trusted him, and that was a big step for her.

She was working four days a week, and she even waitressed a few times when it got busy.

She still felt jumpy, but she did her best to hide it from everyone. Only Alicia knew she still had nightmares. Not as often, so that made her happy. She was convinced with time they would fade away completely.

She straightened up and saw a shadow behind her. She let out a loud shriek.

“Jesus, Alana. You just scared the shit out of me,” Adam told her, looking concerned.

Alana put her hand over her heart and released her breath. She gave him a shaky laugh. Adam had on his fire station T-shirt and jeans. He wore a pair of dark sunglasses, and his hair was tied back.

“I just scared myself.” She laughed. It came out sounding a little hysterical.

“It’s my turn to buy groceries for the firehouse,” he explained. “I saw you and thought I would say hello.”

“And I scared you instead.” She smiled with a shake of her head. Her ponytail swung in the air. “Ray decided he needed tomatoes and a few other items right away. I volunteered to get them.”

She had decided it was time to venture out by herself. So far she had never been alone. She wanted to prove to herself that she was strong. You failed, Alana.

“Is everything okay?” he asked, looking around the busy parking lot. It was the middle of the day, and it was a busy time. People were coming and going. The summer festival had come to an end, and things were back to the normal routine.

“This is my first time out alone. I think I am just nervous. I told myself I would not freak out.”

Adam gave her a gentle smile. He patted her on the shoulder. “You did good, Alana. I should have called out your name before coming up behind you.”

“Thanks, Adam. Maybe I’m trying too hard to be normal.” She took a deep breath. “I always have someone with me, and it makes feel awful. I thought I’d give going alone a try.”

“It’ll take time to get over what you went through, honey. You already look so much better. And Noah never stops smiling. Liam and I tease him a lot, but inside we are glad he finally got his head on straight. And it’s all because of you,” he said gently.

Alana loved his calm personality. She truly hoped Adam got his second chance at love someday. He was such a good man.

Alana felt her cheeks heat up. “He helps me just as much, Adam, but thank you for saying that. I’d better get back. Ray is waiting on me.”

“Okay. I’m off tomorrow. Maybe we can grill again. Ask Ray and Alicia if they’d like to join us,” he suggested. “I think we could all use a fun day.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Alana got in the car and waved bye to him one last time.

She drove back without any further scares and convinced herself her imagination was running wild. The rest of the day went by smoothly.

Noah had to work late, so Alana and Alicia drove home together that night.

“Let’s make popcorn and watch a movie,” Alicia suggested. “It felt like a long day. Did you see that jerk Jason flirting with me?”

Alana nodded. “Is he still dating Mary Lopez?”